Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Floating White House”
Oakland, California
2010
THE BELL COMES HOME
Summer Edition
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
By Hank Laney, Curator
Sea Lions and bombs… Oh, my!
The Potomac takes part in
Homeland Security training.
by Marti Burchell . . . . . . . . . . .2
During my early days as Curator for
the Potomac, I needed to go through
our archives, page by page, to get a
sense of what it contained before it
could be organized. In an otherwise
unremarkable file I found two letters.
One was written in 1985 by Dr. James
Roosevelt, FDR’s son, to the Secretary
of the Navy requesting the Potomac’s
original ship’s bell to complete the restoration. Attached to this was a reply
essentially approving the request with
instructions to contact the Curator of
the Navy when ready.
Marti’s Musings…
The Potomac teams up with the
Red and White Fleet for a unique
cruising experience . . . . . . . . 3
Mooring Lines
A note from the Editor
It’s BACH… and BLUEGRASS!
Our second season begins this
September . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
I realized that the original bell still existed and knew who had it. In some 25 years
no one had followed up. With proof in hand, I decided to pursue the request.
The Curator of the Navy has a very informative website listing how, and under
what conditions, archival objects can be obtained along with rules governing their
“care, custody and control.” It made clear that the Navy always retains title to its
property, but also has a loan program for qualifying organizations.
I certainly thought we would qualify as we have FDR’s Presidential Yacht, in
addition to being a National Historic Landmark. In January 2009, I wrote to the
Curator requesting the original bell and included a number of documents they
requested about our association. I followed up a week or so later with a phone
call to the Curator who expressed enthusiasm, and had in fact, seen the Potomac
out on the bay during a visit to San Francisco. He had already begun processing
the request.
After no small amount of time I again called. The original Curator had left, files
were in disarray, and they had lost the request. Could I resubmit the request?
More time passes, more phone calls, more “we are working on it.” This went on
for months.
All I could do was be patient while trying not to be a pest. And then suddenly
came an email; they had located the bell and it was ready to ship!! They also had
lost the paperwork (again) and requested another copy for their files.
I made arrangements to ship it to a local UPS outlet so we could inspect it at our
leisure. After notification of its arrival, Ron Gammon and I located the crate and
opened it for inspection. It was exactly as hoped, with USS Potomac 1936 proudly
Continued Page 2
Our Flying First Lady
A look at Eleanor’s love for
flying and her friendship with
Amelia Earhart.
by Paulette Langguth . . . . . . . 4
FDR and the Fireside Chats
We remember so many…
by Edward I. Bloom . . . . . . . . 5
2010 Cruise Schedule
A cruise on the Bay aboard the
Potomac offers something for
everyone! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Friends of the Potomac
The most important page in this
issue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
POTOMAC LINKS:
Cruises and Special Events
Student Tours
Private Charter and Events
Become a Friend of the Potomac
Sea Lions, and bombs...
under the Potomac, oh my!
By Marti Burchell
Recently, the Presidential Yacht Potomac participated in two
national anti-terrorist activities. Both were training opportunities for agencies charged with Homeland Security.
The first exercise involved the Space and Naval Warfare
Systems Commission. These folks train dolphins and sea lions to detect “limpet mines” that have been attached to the
hulls of ships, bridge pilings, commercial shipping docks,
and the like.
The sea lions and their trainers came along side the Potomac
in a small boat. A diver was then sent under the ship to place
the dummy mine on her hull. Once the diver surfaced and
returned to the boat, the sea lion was released. She swam
under the Potomac, and returned shortly to let the trainer
know she had found a mine. The sea lion was then given a
mouth-held bit attached to a rope and returned to the “mine.”
A diver then followed the rope to the mine and neutralized
the threat. It was fascinating to watch this two-day exercise, and of
course, to have the opportunity to get up close to the beautiful sea lions. Carla Betts, Potomac Association President,
and I were invited to go aboard the team’s boat and meet
the sea lions. These animals are noted for their ability to see
extraordinarily well under water, and even in murky circumstances. Not hard to believe, as they have beautiful, dark
eyes the size of eggs.
The second training exercise was held by the Department of
Homeland Security and TSA. This involved hiding “terrorist
bomb materials” in two locations on the Potomac. A pair
of instructors came aboard first and placed the materials in
places where they determined a terrorist might have an opportunity to hide them.
A team of security trainees and members of the law enforcement bomb squads from around the Bay Area were then
turned loose on the ship to find the materials. They used all
sorts of sophisticated detection devices, none of which I can
pronounce. The speed at which they were successful in finding the materials was very impressive. Equally impressive
were the men and women who are charged with the duties
of keeping our country safe from those who would do us
harm. Their dedication and professionalism was a pleasure
to observe.
The Bell from Page 1
engraved on the body. It weighs about 80 pounds and measures approximately 16 by 16 inches. By then more than a year
was spent waiting, making calls, and sending letters. It was worth it.
We plan to make a special display for the bell in the Dining Saloon on the wall where the ship’s clock and Presidential seal
are located. This wall is pretty much the focal point of the Saloon, but more important, it is made from ¼-inch plate steel
that will provide a secure mounting on a moving ship
.
People often ask me if the clapper is still in place. The answer is yes, but it will be disabled for obvious reasons. We hope by
the time you read this issue of Potomac Currents we will have the bell mounted on the ship where it belongs, and reunited
with the Potomac after some 60 years in a Navy warehouse.
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MARTI’S MUSINGS…Partnerships
Partnerships between non-profits and for-profits have been around for many years. The for-profit
gains the marketing exposure, tax incentives, and feel-good quotient that come with supporting a
non-profit organization. Non-profits gain the financial and in-kind support, expertise, and talent
that for-profits can offer. It makes a lot sense and it’s just smart business.
The Potomac has had numerous partnerships over her history in Oakland. The maritime community offered enormous supportive partnerships throughout the 15-year-long restoration of the
ship. Companies in Oakland and San Francisco have partnered with the Potomac for special
projects since her restoration. The Potomac also had a 25-year partnership with the Port of Oakland, and while that contract was recently dissolved, the Port still lends its support in the area of
in-kind facilities use.
We are about to embark on a new partnership and we are delighted to be aligning our National Historic Landmark Presidential Yacht with a respected and equally venerable tour and bay cruise company. Through a fortuitous confluence of interests,
and the work of consultant Bruce Burtch, we have been in contact with the Red and White Fleet company in San Francisco
to form a partnership.
In 1892, seventeen year-old Thomas Crowley started with one small boat to deliver goods to the larger ships serving the
San Francisco area. His service was successful, and in 1906 the Crowley Launch and Tugboat Company was incorporated.
Following many years of continued success, the company operates today as the Red and White Fleet under the direction of
Thomas Crowley’s grandson, Tom Escher.
We are very excited about our new partnership with the Red and White Fleet, and about working with the fine people who
run the company. The Potomac will benefit from this partnership through enhanced international marketing, additional charter business revenue, and invaluable exposure to the San Francisco side of the bay. The Red and White Fleet benefits as we
work together to add high-end specialty charters and additional education-related bay adventures for their international and
local marketing packages.
Our partnership, which began during the restoration with the donation of new engines by Crowley Marine for the Potomac,
continues both of our traditions of education and service to clients and new friends from all over the world. We are looking
forward to launching this agreement in early July.
MOORING LINES . . .
Bluegrass & Bach On Board returns to the Potomac September 9. The success of these dockside concerts last fall
prompted us to do it again, and we have quite a lineup for
The Second Annual Fall Music Series. High Country and 49
Special, both award-winning bluegrass bands, will return for
this year’s series. Plus, we welcome two new groups: The
Real Vocal String Quartet offering “an inventive, globallyinfused take on chamber music;” and The Kathy Kallick
Band specializing in “hot bluegrass & cool originals.”
It all happens on the Potomac
this fall, and a portion of the
proceeds will go to the Association’s educational cruise
program for East Bay school
children. For reservations and
more on the series, just go to Bluegrass and Bach. We look
forward to welcoming you aboard.
Virginia Rapp, Editor
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Our Flying First Lady*
By Paulette Langguth
Almost every decade produces celebrities so well known
that they can be referred to by just their first names. The
United States in the 1930’s gave us, among others, Eleanor
and Amelia. To many the names are well known, but the important part they played in each other’s lives is less so.
Despite the thirteen year difference in the ages of these
women, they had a great deal in common. They each spent
many years involved with social work and teaching. They
both had alcoholic fathers and had been raised primarily by
grandparents. They considered themselves “ugly ducklings”
due to their height, bad teeth, and bad legs. They both had
what would be considered unconventional marriages. And
ironically, given how little they cared about such things, they
found themselves on the 10 Best-dressed Women in America list in 1934. More importantly, they had a fierce need
for independence and a desire to improve opportunities for
women, believing that work played an important part in a
woman’s sense of self-worth. (Eleanor’s greatest fear, when
Franklin was elected President, was that she would have to
fill her days with tours and teas.)
Eleanor Roosevelt at Tuskegee
On a visit to the Tuskegee flying school, circa 1940, First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt flew with pilot C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson.
On April 20, 1933, the evening before Amelia was to give a
lecture to the DAR, she and her husband, George, were invited to dine and spend the night at the White House. Amelia
arranged for Eastern Airlines to loan her a plane and a flight
crew and, after dinner that night, asked Eleanor if she wanted to experience night flying for the first time. Not bothering
to change (wearing evening gowns, fur coats, and white kid
gloves) they went up in the plane. Amelia flew the plane for
a short while and then had Eleanor sit in the cockpit so the
captain could explain the controls to her. Perhaps this outing
was, in part, to celebrate the fact that a few days earlier Eleanor had been made Honorary Chairman of the United States
Amateur Pilots Association.
Amelia and Eleanor first met in
1932, just a few
weeks after FDR
was elected President. In private,
Eleanor shared
with Amelia her
desire to fly and
Amelia offered to
act as her instructor. Eleanor was
given the physical
examination, eye,
depth perception
and equilibrium
tests necessary
for a student pilot permit. She
Eleanor and Amelia ca 1932
passed all of the
tests and received her permit. A short time later the permit
arrived in Amelia’s mail with a note reading, “The question
now comes as to whether I can induce my husband to let me
take lessons. I will let you know if I am successful with him.
I haven’t had a chance even to talk to him about it.” The
conversation, of course, was private but the result was that
there would be no flying lessons. “My husband convinced
me that it was a waste of time to learn when I could not afford to buy a plane.”
On June 8, 1937, while Amelia was making her final flight,
Eleanor wrote in her syndicated column, “All day I have
been thinking about Amelia Earhart somewhere over the Atlantic.” She added she would be glad when the trip was over
because she was much more interested in Amelia as a person
than as a record-breaking pilot. It was with this infamous
trip, Eleanor had lost a friend and a source of inspiration.
Recommended reading:
Amelia Earhart - A Biography by Doris Rich
East to the Dawn - The Life of Amelia Earhart by Susan
Butler
*Eleanor Roosevelt had a very positive attitude about air
travel and chose to fly frequently at a time when most Americans refused to even try it. A 1932 photograph of Eleanor
posed in front of an airplane is captioned “Our Flying First
Lady.”
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FDR AND THE FIRESIDE CHATS
By Edward I. Bloom
Franklin Roosevelt is remembered for different things by different people, and one of the most oft-recalled are the Fireside Chats. The
phrase itself is credited to Steve Early, FDR’s press secretary, in announcing that the President would be going on nation-wide radio that
upcoming Sunday evening, March 12, 1933, to explain the banking crisis. It was said that FDR liked to think of the radio audience as,
“a few people around his fireside.” The image caught on, and the phrase was coined.
In later years people would erroneously recall dozens of Fireside Chats, but in reality
there were only thirteen between 1933 and 1940, and only three more thereafter. The
average was less than two a year, with the thought that less was more. The most given in
any year was four, in 1933, to explain banking, currency reform, New Deal programs and
the National Recovery Act. FDR used simple words and phrases, not the formal oratory
suitable when speaking to a live audience. However, the chats were never ad-libbed or
off-the-cuff. Each was carefully crafted and rehearsed, often going through many drafts.
Experienced radio commentators and executives were amazed that FDR could time his
presentations, not just to the minute, but to the second of air time allotted by the networks.
The speeches were typed on special limp paper that didn’t rustle near the microphone.
FDR had a slight whistle in his normal speech, due to a childhood roughhousing incident
when a tooth was accidentally knocked out at Campobello. Before most of the Fireside
Chats FDR would insert a false tooth into the gap, so that the microphone would not pick
up his whistle. The tooth was kept in a little heart-shaped jewelry box on his bedside table,
and FDR invariably forgot it just minutes prior to going on the air, forcing his secretary or
a secret service man to race upstairs to retrieve it and bring it down to the microphones.
His closest associates could set their watches by this absent-minded habit.
Perhaps the most significant of the Fireside Chats, in terms of impact on domestic and foreign listeners, was delivered during the week
of December 23, 1940, when FDR gave what was later termed the Arsenal for Democracy speech. In it he explained his Lend-Lease
program for aid to Britain, and bluntly declared there was no hope for a negotiated peace with Germany. The speech went through seven
drafts, with two speechwriters living in the White House during the preceding week. It was Harry Hopkins who suggested the phrase,
Arsenal for Democracy.
On May 27, 1941, FDR used the Fireside Chat as the vehicle to proclaim an “unlimited national emergency.” This enabled him to unilaterally increase the size of the armed forces, and
to compel industry to put defense contracts ahead of private work. There would no longer be
“business as usual.” This pre-announced Fireside Chat produced the largest radio audience up
to that time, some 65 million listeners.
On March 29, 1941, FDR delivered a speech to attendees at the annual Jackson Day Dinner,
held at various locations throughout the nation. It was not a Fireside Chat, since it was only
heard at designated locations, but it is memorable in that the speech was delivered while FDR
was vacationing in Florida aboard the USS Potomac. Broadcasting from the radio room, FDR
began the speech by commenting how being on shipboard gave him time to relax and to think
about the larger issues of the day, and on this occasion he was contemplating the differences
between democracy, that Andrew Jackson fervently believed in, and the dictatorships in Europe and Asia, which posed a threat to the way of life that Americans loved. (Ed’s. note: You
can listen to a recording of his speech in the Potomac radio room.)
On February 23, 1942, FDR gave a Fireside Chat about the various areas of battle around the globe. It was announced that listeners
should have world maps in front of them. Map stores sold out within hours. An estimated radio audience of 61 million tuned in for the
speech, hearing of places never imagined to exist and understanding world-wide war aims for the first time. It proved to be the most effective use of mass media up to then.
“I never forget that I live
in a house owned by the
American people and that
I have been given their
trust.” - FDR
Sources: No Ordinary Time – Doris Kearns Goodwin
Freedom From Fear – David M. Kennedy
The Defining Moment – Jonathan Alter
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Join us on the USS Potomac
Two-hour History Cruises
Special Event Cruises 2010
Sunset & City Lights Cruises
August 27
September 24
October 22
Fleet Week
October 9 & 10
Characters on the Bay
November 4
Veteran’s Day (2 Cruises)
November 11
1st and 3rd Thursday - 2nd and 4th Saturday
May thru October
All cruises start at 10:30AM
Admission: $45.00 Adults, $40.00 Seniors
$25.00 Children 6 to 12
Groups of 20 or more: $35.00 each
Three-hour History Cruises Dockside Tours
Cruises start at 10:30AM and include a box lunch.
October 23 • Three Bridges of the Bay
September 16 • Islands, Shipyards and Estuary
August 28 • Historic Ships of the Bay
Admission: $65.00 Adults, $60.00 Seniors
Wednesday, Friday & Sunday: 11:00AM to 3:00PM
Admission: $10.00 Adults, $8.00 Seniors
Children under 12 are free
Second Annual Fall Music Series
September 9 & 22, October 7 & 21
Learn more at Bluegrass & Bach
Click for FDR
The Potomac Association
540 Water Street
P.O. Box 2064 Oakland, CA 94604
Telephone: 510-627-1215
www.usspotomac.org
The Potomac Currents is published
by the Association for the Preservation
of the Presidential Yacht, Potomac, Inc.
Editor: Virginia Rapp
Layout and Design: David McGraw
Editorial Board: Marti Burchell, Ed Bloom,
Rich Knowles, Les Marks, Hank Laney and
David McGraw
Electronic Distribution: Karen Lyberger
Webmaster: Tom Howard
No part of this publication may be
reproduced without the written permission
of the publisher.
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For information or reservations go to www.usspotomac.org or call 510-627-1215
Click for Curtis Roosevelt
What did the Potomac
and Amelia Earhart’s
plane have in common?
Board of Governors and Staff
They were both named
“Electra”at one time.
Walter Abernathy, Rick Anderson,
Mary Bergan, Joe Brennan, David Connolly,
Curtis Davies,Virginia Furth,
Judy Goff-Roveda, Al Groh
Hal Marsh, James McCloud
Denny McLeod, Ron Paredes, Jeff Sturm,
Kirk Rowlands, Richard Zampa
The Potomac is open for guided dockside tours
Wednesdays. Fridays and Sundays
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Two-hour HISTORY CRUISES available by reservation.
Jack London Square
540 Water Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 627-1215
www.usspotomac.org
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Michael Roosevelt, Chairman
Carla Betts, President
Tom Morehouse, 1st Vice President
Art Haskell, CFO
Jean Gaskill, Secretary
Marti Burchell, Executive Director
Craig Newton, Ship Keeper
Friends
of
the
Potomac
The USS Potomac Association acknowledges the following individuals and organizations
for their generous donations.
SUSTAINING PATRON
Kieretsu Forum
Port of Oakland
CORPORATE/PATRON
APL Transpacific Trade
Ken & Carla Betts
Jean & Barbara Gaskill
Dale Hansen
Joe Brennan & Jan Tiura
Denny & Ruth McLeod
Waterfront Plaza Hotel
Y. H. Soda Foundation
Rick Anderson
CA Field Iron Workers Admin
Trust
Wade Church
Dr. Jacob Deegan
Willis Deming
William & Marsha Dillon
Virginia Furth
Arthur Haskell
Tom Howard*
Kurt Lauridsen
Matson Navigation
Judy Goff-Roveda*
Dan Strohl
John Tuttle
COMMANDER IN CHIEF
ADMIRAL
Richard Zampa – District Council of Ironworkers
Mary Bergan
Don & Cathy DeCoss
James & Rebecca Eisen
ELEANOR
Tom & Carol Morehouse
Kirk Rowlands
Debra Tharp
John & Clem Underhill
Beverly Voelker
CAPTAIN
Pat & Barbi Carson
Ronald Casassa
Art & Ardeth Dreshfeld
Les & Elaine Dropkin
Olaf Elander
Norman & Edna Eltringham
Pete Geffen
Albert Groth
Martine Habib
Nancy Kickertz
Bill & Mollie Kinney
Rich Knowles & Merlyn
Uhlenberg
Jack Lapidos
Gilbert Williams & Anne
Bonaparte
David Lee Woods & Phyllis D
Chambers
James McCloud
David & Myrna McGraw
Angeline Papastefan
Stuart & Vallyn Proffitt
Virginia Rapp
FIRST MATE
ABC Security Service
Gail & Bruce Adair*
Carol Anderson
Ron & Judy Arrants
Bruce Baur
Gene Bell
Miriam Bloomberg
James Bolen
Donald Bonney
John & Susan Bradley
Roland Brandel
Brad Bunnin*
Marti Burchell
Windy & Jerry Butler
Vern & Alice Carrier
Ted & Lynda Chenoweth
Dave Connally
Fred Cunningham
Charles & Jacqueline
Del Monte
Al Dessayer
Lee Ditlefsen
Robert Eakin & Avis Hendley
Thomas Escher*
Arthur Fatum*
Dorothy & Julie Filice
Vickie Gregg
Bonnie & Earl Hamlin
Mavourneen Harshman
Leroy & Marlene Hintzman
Capt. Walter Jaffee
Ramon Aguilar
Sally Beck & David Brossard
Richard Black
Ted Brown
Carol Campbell
Steven Colman
Angelique & Yann
Cucaro-Renault
Gus Dorough
Susan LaMay
Georgia Edlund
Nancy Falk
Elizabeth Hannon
Heinold’s First & Last Chance
Saloon
Howard Herman
Michael Hogan
Esther Jennings
Colleen Kelly-Prola
Marvin Jensen
Carol Johnston
John & Donna Kaehms
Charley Kearns & Frank Ching
Lawrence Kellogg, Jr.
Kenneth & Margo Kingsbury
John Klip
Neal & Nancy Lambly
Daniel Lamey
Jack Lapidos
Lawrence & Emily Lohr
Patricia MacLean
John McCredie
Thomas Murray
Jim O’Connor
Herbert Ploch
Art & Carrell Rankin
Joseph & Bonnie Reid
Mitch Salzman
Jon & Fran Siler
Jerry & Lovene Silsdorf
Elaine Stanley
Ruby Tilley
Lee Velde
Wanda Viviano
Beverly Voelker
Cynthia Weiss
John & Marilyn Welland
Mary Whitehead
Ruth Ann Yager
FALA
Susan LaMay*
Sandra Lundgren
Lucy John
Ronald Louis
Arthur Mark*
Robert Matz
Brian McDonald
William Memmer
Dawn Muller
Cathy O’Brien
Ann Papastefan
John Papastefan & family
William Peeters
Herbert Ploch
Brenda Price
Harold Rice*
Maurice Robichaud
Kathy Szumiloski
Robert Woodruff
STUDENT/TEACHER
Tom Bernitt
James Flander
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EDUCATIONAL FUND
Dave Connolly
Al Groh
Richard Zampa
Since January 2010, union organizations throughout the San Fransisco Bay Area have contributed more than
$8,000 specifically to support the Educational Cruises. See full list.
*Contributor to the Potomac IPO – Ship Shares Program
Note: Questions or comments about the above listing may be referred to Gordon Seligson, email:
[email protected] or write to the Friends of the Potomac, P.O. Box 2064, Oakland, CA 94604.
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